CHAPTER THREE

Samantha pushed open the cabin door, thankful to be back in Pennsylvania. She tried thinking of something else, anything else but what had happened to her in New Orleans. She felt dirty. Violated. A loss of identity.

She should have listened to those who’d told her not to go to New Orleans. Her family had warned her that the city was dangerous. Ignoring their concerns, she’d gone anyway. At the time, going to the computer conference had seemed like a great way to go on a ‘working vacation’. After a day of lectures and workshops, her co-workers had talked her into going to a local bdsm club in New Orleans. She had heard that supernaturals supposedly went there. Samantha had expected maybe to meet a vampire or a werewolf. She’d thought they’d dance, maybe get to watch some interesting scenes and have some fun. That was all it was supposed to be. A night of fun.

Now her life was destroyed. No friends who she could talk to about what happened. No job. No life. No Samantha. The man she’d met at the club, James, had turned out to be a mage. His real name was Asgear. She vaguely remembered the beating he’d given her after she dared to escape his lair. A beating that she could barely remember was something she could get over. She’d trained in karate when she was younger and had earned and given her fair share of fighting bruises.

No, this was far worse. Memories locked away, stolen. She couldn’t remember anything of what had happened or what she’d done. Being taken to a vampire’s mansion, Kade Issacson had shown her the disgusting evidence of her violation. Naked. Submissive. She’d been under the control of Asgear and had done his bidding. Her body was used. Her mind was taken over as well, but the memories refused to surface. Despite being told she’d been bespelled and seeing the photographic proof, she could not accept that what she’d done was real.

Was she raped? Did she willingly have sex with others? Did she hurt anyone? She had no recollection. They told her that she may have hurt a female vampire. But that wasn’t her. It was a nightmare; one she could only escape by running.

Witch. She despised the word. While Ilsbeth had been nothing but kind to her, she refused to believe she was a witch. She didn’t want to be a witch. This was not happening. She would take the medical leave she’d requested from work and take a long rest in the mountains, and then try to get her life back. Maybe remember what had happened. Maybe not. Regardless, she was determined to heal.

No one was guaranteed an easy life, she knew that. You worked hard, and reaped what you sowed. Working in a sea of men in her technology company hadn’t been a walk in the park when she’d first started. A female programmer worked twice as hard and long to prove herself worthy. And she’d done just that, earning her rank as one of the very best engineers. The phrase, ‘giving up’, wasn’t in her vocabulary. She preferred to fight the good fight in the face of adversity. Samantha steeled herself; she resolved that nothing would break her spirit.

The cabin she rented in the mountains was a welcome reprieve from the intense training sessions she’d experienced over the past week. The weather was lovely, as was the foliage. Towards the end of August, evenings were beginning to cool off, beckoning fall to approach. After being in the humid, hot air of New Orleans, Samantha welcomed the change in temperature.

Samantha opened the sliding glass door to check for firewood. The rental agency had assured her that the cabin was fully stocked, which meant she could have a fire on a cold night. Drinking in the tranquil setting, she sat on the Adirondack chair and breathed in the fresh, mountain air. She stared out at the large lake situated on the property. Aside from the small clearing leading to the lake, the house was surrounded by woods. Samantha was pleased the property was isolated, as had been promised.

Alone at last. No vampires. No werewolves. And no freakin’ witches. While Ilsbeth was friendly, she’d not received such a warm welcome from all the others. They’d glared at her, resenting her newfound gift. Most witches were born with magic, not accidentally infused with it. To the other witches, she was an unnatural freak who was tainted not blessed.

Ilsbeth had sat with Samantha and gently cleansed the evil then explained how Samantha could draw power from within. Out of respect for Ilsbeth, she did try. Unsuccessfully. Night after night, she sat in the calming room, meditating and chanting, yet nothing stirred.

Fed up with the insulting comments from the other witches, and her lack of apparent powers, Samantha resolved to get her old life back. She was very grateful to Kade, Luca, Sydney and Ilsbeth for rescuing her. She didn’t want to seem unappreciative, but she’d had enough of the mystical side of life. She yearned for normalcy. It was like a hardened nightmare from which she could not awake. Finally, yes, finally, she was feeling like her old self, relaxing into the forested wilderness.

Samantha reached across the table and lit a small citronella candle. She laughed to herself; the only bloodsuckers out here were the damn mosquitos. No way are you getting me tonight. The crickets and cicadas sang her a soothing lullaby. Convinced she was finally finding peace in her rustic sanctuary, Samantha let out a breath, closed her eyes and fell asleep, breathing in the crisp air.

“She what?” Luca could hardly believe it as he stood before the always ethereal Ilsbeth. “She left? Where the hell did she go?”

Ilsbeth’s golden hair shone in the candlelight that illuminated the coven’s foyer. While well over a hundred years old, she looked like she was in her twenties. But there was no mistaking the power that flowed within the beautiful witch. She was like a graceful swan; gorgeous and generally calm, but would kill in an instant if provoked.

“Luca,” she spoke in an unemotional even-toned voice. “Please come in and have some tea.”

Ilsbeth motioned him into the parlor. The room was comfortably airy, almost spa-like, decorated in hues of tan and blue. A large, four-foot tall pillar candle stood in front of the fireplace; its flame appeared to dance to the new age music softly playing in the background.

Luca strode into the room and turned to face Ilsbeth. He was enraged that the coven had misplaced Samantha. “Over a week ago I brought her here to remain in your charge. Did you fail to see or understand the seriousness of my attack? She’s in danger.”

“Luca, please sit.” She gestured for him have a seat. Power rolled off of her, filling the room with a gentle, soothing hum.

Luca reluctantly sat on a large, linen covered chair. Ilsbeth elegantly walked across the room and sat on the matching sofa across from him.

“Luca, I understand your concern, but you must consider two factors. While the attack could have been intended for Samantha, it could equally have been meant for you or me. As you are aware, I’m not without my fair share of enemies, nor are you.” Ilsbeth closed her eyes, took a deep cleansing breath and then opened them again. “Second and perhaps most importantly, I cannot keep Samantha against her will. After purifying her, I was required by the Goddess to let her go her own way. She asked to leave, knowing the dangers, and I had no choice but to let her go.”

Luca could have cared less about what the Goddess wanted. “They could have killed me, Ilsbeth. Yet they did not. No, they wanted her. She’s special. There’s something…something I cannot put my finger on.” Luca raked his fingers through his raven hair. He wore it loose tonight and it fell into his eyes.

“I don’t disagree, Luca. She is, indeed, special. Goddess knows we don’t see a human turned witch very often. It is extremely rare. But she should have had more powers. The magic should’ve shown itself by now. Magic is drawn to its witch, knowing where to go, wanting to be utilized. But she couldn’t concentrate; there was simply nothing. She was frustrated with her progress. Now it may have been caused by stress. You know, even though her physical injuries have subsided, she’s quite vulnerable emotionally. What that awful man did to her…” Ilsbeth gritted her teeth in anger, her eyes lit with fire. She quickly composed herself; her face transformed back into its normally placid expression.

“And you should also be aware that she doesn’t fully accept her gift yet. She does not wish to be magical. I’m sorry we couldn’t do more for her, but she’s a grown woman. She knows she can return anytime. Perhaps her leaving the state will keep her from danger,” Ilsbeth speculated.

Luca’s thoughts raced. Was it possible that she’d be safe away from New Orleans? It was true that she’d be away from the heart of magic, after all. But then he remembered that Asgear was able to extend his reach to Philadelphia. He might not have physically been there, but he was able to funnel his magic to others in the area, making them do things, awful things. No, she needed to come back to the safety of the coven where the magical wards would protect her. She’d be safe with her sisters. Ilsbeth was the most powerful witch on the East Coast. Not even a mouse could get in her courtyard without her permission. Luca knew in that moment that he needed to bring her home.

“I will go get her, explain the danger. She cannot refuse me. Where did she go, Ilsbeth?” he asked authoritatively. While Ilsbeth was powerful, Luca was older, and emanated his own energy. He could not believe the sheer idiocy of the coven rules. It made no sense that because a person didn’t want to be there, they could simply walk out the door with no regard for safety. And the coven would wave goodbye and let her do what she wanted, because the Goddess said so. Fuck coven rules. He would go get her and bring her back. End of story.

Ilsbeth slowly rose off the sofa. She’d acquiesce to Luca this once. He appeared to care about the human, her sister witch. Interesting, she thought to herself. Everyone who knew Luca would be quite surprised to know he cared about a mortal woman.

“Fine, Luca. We shall do as you wish. But know this; I will not keep her here against her will. Should she refuse to stay at the coven, she’s in your charge,” she explained. Ilsbeth would not go against the Goddess’s rules.

“But of course. However this will not be an issue. She will want to return once I speak with her.”

“What makes you say that, Luca? She was quite adamant on her departure that she would not be returning to New Orleans. She is quite traumatized, you know,” she said softly.

“Does she remember what happened?” Luca inquired, remembering how Samantha could not stop crying at Kade’s that night, dark bruises on her face. He’d wanted to kill the son of a bitch who’d hurt her, but Kade had taken care of it. Unfortunately he couldn’t fix the emotional damage left in Asgear’s aftermath. The best he could do that night was listen and comfort her by placing his hand on her shoulder.

“No, I do not believe so. Anything she shared with me is her story to tell.”

“Understandable. No matter. She must return to the safety of the coven,” Luca said without emotion. He walked over to the front door and grabbed the handle.

Ilsbeth followed and put her hand on his. Luca turned to face her. “Luca, be gentle with the girl. She’s young and scared. Not a very good combination.” She removed her hand, went over to her desk and began to write down the address Samantha had given her.

“Ilsbeth, I may not be fond of human women but I can certainly handle getting one on a plane back to New Orleans. I don’t know who tried to attack her but I’ll be damned if I’m goin’ to just sit by and watch her get kidnapped again. Or worse, die. No,” he said shaking his head. “It’s settled. I’ll go and get her. In the meantime, Kade and Sydney can look for clues as to what in the hell is going on down here, who abducted me.”

“Okay, Luca. Please call me if you need my assistance. I can work spells from a distance. Also, call me if she shows any signs of magic.” She handed him a business card with an address written on the back of it. “She’s in Pennsylvania. In the mountains. May the Goddess be with you on your journey.”

Taking the card from her hand he walked into the warm, humid air, breathed deeply and turned back again to Ilsbeth. “Thank you, Ilsbeth. Be well.”

Luca had an address. Samantha. He would go to her now. He’d take the jet and be there within hours. For a split second he wondered if there was something more about this mere mortal that he was drawn to. Dismissing the thought, he slid his cell phone on and called Tristan. He was the person physically located closest to where she was.

“Tristan here,” he answered gruffly.

“Tristan, it’s me, Luca.”

“Mon ami, so good to hear your voice. Kade told me you got yourself trussed up like a silver chained turkey,” he joked. Leave it to a wolf to lighten the mood about his attack.

“Yeah, it was quite the ordeal, to say the least. But I’m back. Sydney and Kade saved my life,” he said nonchalantly. He did not wish to discuss the feeding with Tristan, knowing how intimate they were. “Unfortunately, this isn’t a social call. I’m in need of your assistance, Alpha.” Luca deliberately used his title as a sign of respect.

“Just ask, Luca. What is it?”

“It’s Samantha. She ran away from the coven. Apparently things didn’t go so well with her training so she split,” he stated, unhappy that she’d left.

“Ah…the little witch you rescued. How is it she got away from Ilsbeth?”

“Long story short but essentially, she left of her own accord so Ilsbeth had to let her go. She escaped to your neck of the woods. Pocono Mountains. Do you think you could go find and guard her…as wolf until I get there?” Luca asked. “I don’t want her to suspect that I’m coming for her lest she’ll probably run again. She may not take kindly to another supernatural like you coming after her either. After all she’s been through, it may be best to just blend into nature and watch her from afar. Guard her and don’t let her leave.”

“No problem. I was looking to take a little run anyway. This just gives me something to look forward to. As I recall, she's a pretty young thing. Hot body and a fiery mane you could run your fingers through,” Tristan teased, sensing Luca had a personal interest in finding her. He loved Luca but couldn’t resist teasing him, given that he was always so serious.

Luca growled. “Alpha, do not touch her. She’s been through enough.” What the hell was he doing telling an Alpha what to do in his own territory? Luca forced himself to relax, unclench his fist and gain his composure. “I apologize, Tristan. I didn’t mean to tell you what to do. It’s just that she’s vulnerable right now. Ilsbeth said she couldn’t find her magic. She’s afraid. She needs our help.”

“No worries, Luca. I’m on it. I know you’ve also been through a lot lately. Text me the address, and I’ll meet you there. I’ll try to keep it wolf, but if she spots me, I won’t tell her you’re coming.”

“Thank you, Tristan. See you later tonight. ” Luca ended the call. He’d go up tonight and be back by tomorrow. Then he’d help Kade and Sydney find whoever had kidnapped him, and rip their throats out.